Sunday, February 20, 2011

The Rev. Bob Barron, priest and theology professor, University of St. Mary of the Lake in Mundelein As Chicago's Cardinal Francis George joins other abortion rights opponents in Washington for the M...

Friday, February 11, 2011

I am now approaching the second anniversary of my first visit to St. Philip Lutheran Church and School in Chicago, Illinois. In late June 2009 the people of St. Philip extended me a call to be their pastor; I accepted and moved my family to Chicago in August 2009.

Prior to our move we schooled our four children at home. Upon the move to St. Philip the children were placed in the parochial school. This move has been blessed with difficulty. That may seem a curious turn of phrase, but it reflects the belief that the Lord of the Church called us to St. Philip and will use our mutual experience to bless both my family and the people I have been called to serve and that are now our neighbors.

There are great benefits to a parochial school education, especially in an urban setting like ours. I will speak and write more about this in the future, and there are many ways in which I believe parochial education can be improved.

The related video clip below is from one of my favorite authors, Sir Ken Robinson. Sir Ken speaks with authority and passion about human creativity and how the discovery and cultivation of said creativity can and should lead to changes in the way think about ourselves and educate our children. In this particular video Sir Ken is responding to a question he received about what public education may learn from home schooling. His response, though brief, is a reply with which I resonate…

About Me

I am a husband, father of four, and also by vocation, a pastor. My interests, though centering in things theological, are varied, as you will see. I am passionate about my family, church and civic life. Theologically, I subscribe without reservation to confessions of the Lutheran Church as found in the Book of Concord of 1580. These I understand to be the correct exposition of the Word of God. Prior to entering the seminary I worked for five years in state level politics, and also have a passion for good governance and public service. I had the pleasure of serving a state legislator in my early years who I consider one of the most decent men I have ever known, so over time you'll hear a little political discussion here, but you will rarely find me cynical. Most of the people with whom I worked "in the process" were hardworking public servants. You will find a similar level of respect for those in church governance here. For example, though I consider myself one of those committed to putting a smiling face on confessional Lutheran theology, I will honor those elected to office, even if I disagree with them profoundly.